How to Get There: Southside is super easy to find in Gyeongridan, and is not far outside of Noksapyeong Station, Exit 2. When you walk forward out of the exit, you will be able to see the sign on the fourth floor across the street pretty quickly. Though you do need to venture through the tunnel of doom, and head towards Itaewon Elementary School. Walk about 200 meters or so, and you will see it on your left. It is above Layaly Dubai, which looks awesome as well.

Service and Atmosphere: It seemed like all of our first impressions of the place were those of surprise. I don’t know what I was expecting, but I walked in and said, “swank.” Soutside Parlor is aptly named in that it both served southern style barbeque AND looks like an old school parlor. I don’t think this was an accident. It’s dimly lit, the tables are low, there are couches. There’s this strange vibe where everything somehow seems a hundred years old and simultaneously brand new.

The bar is nice and big, which make sense given the extent of their cocktail list. There are a few high-tops, some counter space looking out onto the street, and one “standard” table for two if you aren’t exactly feeling the couches meal life. But they are sensual. So keep this in mind. They also have two arcade style gaming systems, and there was talk from the bartender of a formal Street Fighter II tournament at some point, so keep an eye out on their Facebook. The other machine has over 400 games in it. The staff is really friendly as well!

Food and Drink: The food menu is rather limited, but as we had a decent sized group, we tried pretty much everything. This place has four entrees, and four pages dedicated to drinks ranging from specialty cocktails to craft beer and all your favorite bourbons, whiskeys, and single malts. Haven’t had a hookah in a while have you? Look no further. Apple and grape in TWO sizes. No one had one while we were there, but it doesn’t strike me as a place that’s going to get overly smokey or anything.

Piggy Chips (12,000 KRW): Despite feeling a little awkward letting these words come out of my mouth when I ordered it, I really enjoyed this appetizer. Great to share, decently sized and tastes great. Same pulled pork from the sandwich, which is amazing. Reminded me of the “Three Wise Fries” from Coreanos.

Southside Burger (12,000 KRW): We asked them to cut the sandwiches up into fours so we could give each a try. Sharing is caring people. I found it delicious, perfectly cooked and nicely accented with the caramelized onions. Big fan. Though one member of the group thought it was slighly overcooked. All of these sandwiches are served with sweet potato chips and look exactly the same. I only really have two complaints for these entrees and they are the same for all of them. Those are that the serving sizes are somewhat small, and perhaps the food may be considered a pinch salty.

Smoked Brisket Sandwich (13,000 KRW): I was slightly surprised that the presentation of this was the same as the burger. You can see in the pictures how you could even mistake the two. We all enjoyed the brisket a lot. Again, it was cooked perfectly and you can really pick out that Espresso BBQ sauce. Not bad at all!

Pulled Pork Sandwich (11,000 KRW): This was probably my favorite. The pork was really tender and prepared well. Even with having had the preview from the piggy fries, I was pretty impressed by this one.

Fried Chicken Tacos (10,000 KRW): Not the best tacos on earth, but I enjoyed them. Siracha Mayo is one of God’s gift to humanity, and the fried chicken was light, so it wasn’t too overbearing. Keep an eye out for Taco Tuesdays! New tacos every week. No one is against that. No one.

Who SHOULD visit Southside Parlor: Looking to try something new? This one is worth a shot. Get some drinks and sit on a couch over some quality conversation about your hagwons.

Who SHOULD NOT visit Southside Parlor: Starving? Back problems? Afraid of the dark?